


Second Glance

by realmSpinner



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-15 15:26:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13034046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realmSpinner/pseuds/realmSpinner
Summary: Kuroo drops some serious hints and poor Tsukishima can't take this.





	Second Glance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [zombie_bnvnd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zombie_bnvnd/gifts).



> This takes place in a universe where Kuroo is Tsukishima's captain.

Tsukishima had high expectations for his high school trip. He'd seen students in movies travel to far-off exotic destinations like Hawaii. He'd spoken with students from other high schools who had traveled to places like Seoul and Taipei. Even if his country-side high school couldn't afford something so extravagant, he at least expected a visit to some big cities with popular tourist spots and hotels with huge rooms filled with futons that would be so packed one would be lucky not to step on someone's face on the way to the restroom.

It wasn't that Tsukishima was excited about the crowds or even spending 'quality, memory-making time with his classmates' as his teachers proclaimed. He'd always been somewhat of a loner, a keep-to-himself type. Sure, he had friends, and no, he wasn't particularly hostile to anyone who approached him (unless they were particularly annoying) but if asked where his favorite place in the world was, he'd say in his room listening to music.

Part of the reason that was, though, was that he'd hardly ever been outside of his country-side town. The only time he stepped foot out of his hometown in his eighteen years of age was when he traveled for volleyball, and a busy schedule never gave him many chances to just explore. 

He wanted to see what else was out there.

That was why he found himself scowling, music blasting through his ears as he sat on a log at the edge of a forest, watching with twitching eyes as his classmates helped set up tents. Because, apparently, there would be no touristy hang outs. There would be no street foods or restaurants to try. There would be no concrete jungles to explore and no pocket money to be spent. 

Because their class trip was _camping_ at a _national park_.

Who in their right mind would even enjoy this?!

“En garde!” Kuroo shouted from a few feet away, extending a fiberglass pole out like a sword. 

“I will whoop your ass,” Yaku replied, not yet extending his own pole, but looking ready to strike at any moment.

Of course his captain, Kuroo Tetsurou, would find amusement in any situation. Tsukishima sighed, his attention falling to his MP3 player as he skipped through songs. Nothing seemed to be the right thing to listen to at the moment. 

He tensed when something rested on his head. Raising his eyes from behind his glasses, he saw Kuroo now in front of him, smiling as he rested the pole on his head.

“Stop sulking and come help us,” Kuroo said, jerking his head toward the tents. There was a certain amount of authority in his voice, the kind of tone he pulled when he was directing the team as captain. Tsukishima bristled. He was already annoyed by the situation, by the heat and the bugs and the inability to settle on one song... he didn't need Kuroo badgering him on top of it all.

He didn't need Kuroo _close_ to him, what-so-ever.

“I'm sure you're intelligent enough to put up a tent on your own,” Tsukishima said, a pleasantry with a sharp edge. He didn't even have time to feel bad, because he was annoyed and Kuroo, of all people, would not make things better. He swatted the pole off of his head, offered a tense smile at his captain, and then looked back down at his MP3. Even through the music playing in his ears, he could hear Kuroo sigh. He wasn't expecting Kuroo to reach down and actually touch his stuff, though, and was therefore startled when the captain pressed pause. Tsukishima looked up again, all pretenses of a smile gone.

“If you don't help with the tents, we'll be sending you out to collect firewood later. Sure your noodle arms can handle it?” Kuroo taunted. Tsukishima's arms were long, but they certainly were not noodles. And he knew Kuroo knew that, because the sadistic man was in charge of their exercise regimen. Kuroo was just... infuriating like that, always available to start a battle of wits between them. If he were any less of an absolute asshole, maybe, just maybe, Tsukishima would be okay with the big, fat, ugly crush he had on the captain.

“If you can't handle it, fine,” Tsukishima replied, shutting the MP3 off and jamming it and his headphones in his bag. Kuroo didn't reply, just smirked as Tsukishima helped him and Yaku sent up the tents. Tsukishima wished Kuroo would stop staring at him, because he could feel the raven's gaze, and it was unsettling.

True to Kuroo's word, though, because he'd helped with the tents, he wasn't sent out into the woods to gather firewood. He was glad for the crackling flames, because once the sun had set, the air had cooled and brought a chill to the night. Chili had filled their bellies at dinner, so they were taking the opportunity to roast marshmallows over the various fires.

Somehow, even though Tsukishima was sure Kuroo had settled at a different fire before Tsukishima had taken a seat in front of this one, Kuroo was sitting beside him, talking amicably with their classmates. Tsukishima was content with listening to the conversation, adding input during the few times he was addressed. The heat of the fire and the happy mood set around him was so calming that he almost forgot his loathing of the situation.

“Oh shit!” A classmate exclaimed, hastily taking his marshmallow out of the fire. He'd been so focused on shit-talking that he'd let it burn to a crisp.

“Language!” One of the teachers nearby warned. The crowd around the fire laughed, and said classmate looked about ready to fling the marshmallow into the fire. Or at the teacher.

“Wait, wait, give that to me,” Kuroo said, halting his movements. The classmate shrugged and handed over the stick. Tsukishima blinked when it was offered to him, and furrowed his eyebrows at the expectant look on Kuroo's face. “You like them burnt, don't you?”

“... did you poison it?” Tsukishima asked suspiciously, hiding the fact that he was surprised Kuroo knew such a thing. He's certainly never mentioned it, which meant Kuroo must have been paying attention to him. 

Which seemed to be happening more often lately.

“How could I have poisoned it? You literally saw me grab it and hold it out to you,” Kuroo replied. Tsukishima still stared at him, and Kuroo rolled his eyes, grabbing his hand. Tsukishima blinked down at their joined hands, until Kuroo had shoved the stick into his palm and let go. “So ungrateful.”

Tsukishima slowly peeled the marshmallow off the stick and popped it in his mouth, savoring the charred taste with a sweet center. He sucked some of the sticky marshmallow off his thumb and glanced over at Kuroo, freezing when the captain's eyes were already on him. He turned as soon as Tsukishima did, though, looking terribly interested in what the guy on the other side of him was saying. Tsukishima wiped his thumb on his jeans and blamed the warmth of his cheeks on the heat of the fire.

“Alright, alright, I have a story for all of you,” someone announced, snatching a flashlight and turning it on beneath his chin. Tsukishima fought the urge to snort, knowing the horrible horror stories were about to begin. He noticed Kuroo turn around and gesture to another group of students around another fire. He got thumbs up in response, and Kuroo turned back to the person speaking, grinning. Tsukishima decided to stay quiet about it.

“It all started on a Friday night...”

There were mentions of a mysterious cell phone alert, urging citizens to stay inside their houses. Something about someone seeing a little girl standing in the middle of the road, but the next time they looked, she was gone. The electricity flickered off, and the next time the person looked out of the window, the sun had been completely covered up, causing the sky to be pitch black despite it being two in the afternoon. In the girl's place was something big... something black that the viewer couldn't quite make out.

“Was it Kuroo's hair?” Somebody chimed in. The circle burst out laughing, and even Tsukishima chuckled. Kuroo pretended to be offended, though he was clearly amused, and the storyteller started complaining because he wasn't being taken seriously. Tsukishima decided to help him out.

“If it was Kuroo's hair, even I'd be frightened,” Tsukishima mocked. Kuroo whipped his head over to smirk at Tsukishima. Before the blond could even blink, Kuroo had his hand wrapped around Tsukishima's own.

“I'll hold your hand if you're scared,” Kuroo cooed. Tsukishima's lip curled, even as his heart skipped a beat. 

“Please don't,” Tsukishima drawled. There was more laughter from the group.

“Okay, okay, back to the story!” The storyteller insisted. He launched into the continuation. Tsukishima felt Kuroo lower their hands, and anticipated being let go of completely. But Kuroo's knee tapped against his own, and their hands, still connected, rested on the log between them. 

Tsukishima turned wide eyes to his captain, but Kuroo wasn't looking at him, instead, focusing on the storyteller. Tsukishima flickered his gaze down to their connected hands and then back up to Kuroo, freaking out just a little.

There was no way that wasn't intentional. And the way Kuroo had connected their knees... it was acting as a shield so the others wouldn't notice their connected hands. No matter how long he burned his eyes into the side of Kuroo's face, the raven refused to look over.

Tsukishima should just... slip his hand out from underneath Kuroo's. He should pass it off as a slip-up, or as Kuroo being Kuroo.

He didn't move it.

“RRRAAAAGHRRR!”

So focused on the warmth of Kuroo's hand, Tsukishima jumped at the sound, jerking his chin up. From the forest beside them emerged a very ugly bear-like creature. Even caught off-guard, Tsukishima could immediately tell it was a classmate wearing a costume. The same couldn't be said for some of the others, though, for screams filled the air and there was an incredible stampede of students running toward the tents.

Kuroo was laughing loudly next to him, slapping his knee with his free hand. Tsukishima remembered the thumbs up sign he'd been given earlier and knew he was in on it. When Kuroo turned those dark brown eyes, shining with tears of laughter, his way, he tensed. Still chuckling, Kuroo winked at him and squeezed his hand. 

There was only so much Tsukishima's poor heart could take, and he was at his limit.

“Idiot,” Tsukishima reprimanded without bite, yanking his hand out of Kuroo's hold and standing up. 

“What is wrong with you!?” A teacher yelled from the campsite.

“Look at what you've done!” Another yelled.

Turned out that, the stampede of frightened students had run smack into three of the pitched tents, destroying them by ripping canvas and bending poles. If Tsukishima wasn't sure his class was primarily made of idiots, he was now thoroughly convinced.

The consequence of such idiotic actions was that, now that they were down three tents, they would have to squeeze more students into the others. So now, not only were Tsukishima's dreams of a decent student trip gone, but so was his personal space while sleeping.

Fantastic.

Again, Tsukishima could have sworn that Kuroo had been assigned to a different tent, and yet here he was, standing at the lip of Tsukishima's tent when it was light's out. Tsukishima would never understand it.

It was a tight fit, but they managed. Kuroo took the very right, pressed up against the side of the tent, while Tsukishima lay beside him with another classmate to his left. It was nice to be bundled under blankets, but Tsukishima found it hard to actually go to sleep. 

That probably had to deal with his crush lying right beside him, but Tsukishima refused to think about it much.

That was, until he felt Kuroo's fingers touch his own. It wasn't an actual grab, and it could have been something completely innocent, given they were sleeping right next to each other in a crowded tent. However, the fact Kuroo was looking directly at him dashed any semblance of an accident.

“Stop that,” Tsukishima whispered, curling his fingers to get away from Kuroo's touch. 

“Why?” Kuroo had the nerve to ask, his smile too playful to be malicious. Teasing, he was. Frustrating and irritating he'd always been. But, despite Tsukishima deeming Kuroo an asshole, the raven had never truly been cruel. 

Still, doubt rang through Tsukishima's ears.

Casting a look behind him, Tsukishima listened for any signs of life in the tent. Only steady breathing met his ears, with an occasional snore. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Tsukishima turned back toward Kuroo, leaning further into the other's space, voice as low as he could possibly get it while still being heard.

“Because I don't want to be the center of one of your jokes,” Tsukishima said pointedly, searching Kuroo's face for a reaction, for any sign that the raven was playing around with his feelings. He wasn't awarded much, for Kuroo continued to smile, and took the opportunity to slide his bent arm beneath his head as a makeshift pillow. 

“Not everything I do is a joke, you know,” Kuroo replied, and maybe it was a trick of the dim lighting, but Tsukishima could have sworn his smile had transformed from something heckling to something more... tender. It did funny things to Tsukishima's heart. It was completely unfair, regardless, because even without that earnest look, Tsukishima knew the captain's words rang true. Kuroo took many things seriously... his academics, his family, his team. It was one of the reasons Tsukishima found himself admiring him for.

Tsukishima softly chewed on the inside of his cheek.

“Then what are you trying to do?” Tsukishima asked. He felt the last of his resolve breaking. It was... inconceivable, that Kuroo would be interested in him as more than a friend, but at the same time... it would explain a lot.

The fact Kuroo constantly attempted to get a rise out of him. 

The fact Kuroo always sought him out.

The fact Kuroo left touches that were just a little too long, a little too purposeful.

The fact Kuroo kept making excuses to hold his hand tonight.

“Get your attention, mostly,” Kuroo answered with a shrug. The honest simplicity of the words brought heat back to Tsukishima's cheeks. He dropped his gaze down to where Kuroo's hand still lied between them. Slowly, he uncurled his fingers, eliminating the distance he'd made between their hands.

“... you've obviously succeeded,” Tsukishima muttered, maybe a little exasperated with himself, maybe a little shy in front of Kuroo. He glanced back up, into Kuroo's eyes, swallowing any shakiness that threatened to invade his voice. “Now what?”

Kuroo was looking down at their hands, where their fingers brushed. 

“I don't know. I haven't thought this far,” Kuroo said with a soft huff of laughter. He threaded their fingers together, tugging Tsukishima's hand closer to his chest. His gaze lingered on their hands, and there was very little Tsukishima wouldn't give in that moment to know everything that was going on in Kuroo's head. Then those dark brown eyes darted back up to his, a new and bright smile on his lips. “Kinda happy you're even letting me hold your hand.”

Tsukishima wasn't sure if it was physically possible to sink down any further into the tent's surface, but it certainly felt like he was, under the intensity of Kuroo's stare.

“I let you earlier, too,” Tsukishima pointed out, not knowing what else to say. Kuroo let out another huff of laughter. It was quickly becoming a favorite sound of Tsukishima's.

“And why was that?” Kuroo inquired, that spark of playfulness back and familiar and scary. 

“I don't like this. I feel like you found out I like you and now you're teasing me,” Tsukishima accused, narrowing his eyes. He didn't know why he couldn't fully let his defenses down.

Probably because they would be graduating in less than a month and Tsukishima had fully prepared to leave this crush behind. However, said crush's smile suddenly widened so much that his eyes wrinkled on the edges, and Tsukishima was almost offended at how handsome he was.

“I had a feeling, but I didn't know for sure until now,” Kuroo chirped. He didn't look at all concerned to be at the end of Tsukishima's skepticism. In fact, he just looked elated that Tsukishima had confessed to liking him. Tsukishima really could not handle this, and it got even worse when Kuroo leaned closer. “And yeah, I'm totally going to tease you about it later, but right now I'd rather kiss you.”

Tsukishima's tongue darted out to wet his lips at the mere mention, and as soon as the movement registered, his embarrassment intensified. 

“... pull anything stupid and I'll throw you in the fire pit,” Tsukishima grumbled, feeling the need to fight this attraction in some way, because Kuroo didn't deserve Tsukishima falling right at his feet. Kuroo didn't seem to mind, taking the words as the invitation they were veiled to be.

The first brush of their lips sent the butterflies in Tsukishima's chest scattering wildly through his entire body. The touch was tentative, searching, and Tsukishima belatedly realized Kuroo was holding his breath. For some ridiculous reason, that made Tsukishima smile, because it was the first true sign that maybe Kuroo was just as nervous as he was. It set Tsukishima more at ease, and he leaned forward, adding just the tiniest bit more pressure into the next brush of their lips. Tsukishima's smile must have been addictive, because the blond could feel Kuroo's lips curve upward as well.

They parted for seconds, and Tsukishima opened his eyes to see Kuroo unfold the arm beneath his head. A hand, with fingers chilled enough to make Tsukishima shiver, cupped his jaw and Tsukishima had just enough time to shut his eyes before they were kissing again. Tsukishima discovered he really enjoyed the feeling of Kuroo's hand against his jaw, brushing a thumb across his cheek and back again. It felt very intimate, closing them in a bubble just for them. The lips against his own were exploratory, never quite the same in pressure or pattern, warm and soft and light, and Tsukishima felt almost in a sleepy haze, like he could fall asleep to the rhythm of their kisses.

Not that he'd want to miss a second of this.

Even the short breaks, in the moments where their lips would pull apart, were special, in the way Tsukishima could feel Kuroo's gentle breath against his mouth. In the way their noses would bump together as if they _had_ to have some contact between them at all times. Tsukishima had the right mind to think of nuzzling their noses together, but couldn't quite bring himself to do it.

Tsukishima really couldn't keep up with how long they lied there, smushed together in that tent, content in sharing unhurried, sweet kisses. He really didn't care, as long as he could continue feeling like he was walking on air.

A rather harsh knock against his back broke him out of that blissful trance so quickly that he felt like his body had jumped out of his skin. He whipped his head around, brain frantically trying to take everything in... the school trip, the camp, the scary story, the idiot classmates, the packed tents... and then a loud snore filled the tent.

He realized the person who'd been sleeping on his other side had rolled over and knocked their arm into his back. There was a snort, and he turned back to see Kuroo's face buried into his pillow, his shoulders shaking.

Tsukishima was a mix between outraged, tongue-tied, and amused. He almost wanted to accuse Kuroo of planning it, just like he had with the stupid bear costume, but he was too busy trying to calm his spiked heart-rate. 

“If you're scared, I'll hold your hand,” Kuroo managed, eyes shining beneath the light leaking into the tent.

“You're already holding it,” Tsukishima replied, finally allowing himself to smile wryly. Kuroo smiled at him a moment longer before dipping forward to leave a peck against his lips. Tsukishima was almost ashamed of himself for wanting to chase those lips.

“And I'm keeping it until tomorrow morning,” Kuroo claimed, squeezing his hand. Tsukishima doubted that would happen. Even if they fell asleep holding hands, the likelihood of them still being that way when they woke up was minimal.

Yet, they managed it.

And Kuroo kissed that hand in the morning, just to dash any lingering doubts, so maybe a camping trip wasn't the worst school trip ever to exist. And anyway, Tsukishima did, eventually, get to visit some of the more busy and exciting places he'd wanted to.

With Kuroo at his side.


End file.
